Book Review: The Grave's a Fine and Private Place

TITLE: The Grave's a Fine and Private Place
Book 9 in the Flavia de Luce series
AUTHOR: Alan Bradley
CATEGORY:often shelved as adult, I say it's middle-grade
PUBLISHED: January 30th, 2018 (in the US)
GENRE: Historical Fiction, Mystery
PREMISE: While dealing with the death of her father, Flavia stumbles upon another mystery...
MY REVIEW: I am a latecomer to the Flavia de Luce series. I read the first book around...two years ago, I believe. The series has been out for quite some time now. With the ninth book, it is coming to an end. I'm sorry to see it go, but I think it's just as well. I could tell the author was running out of ideas of what to do with the series. Some of the previous books wandered in plot a lot. The same happened with this book. But we do ultimately get a good conclusion for Flavia and everyone else in her life. For the record, I wouldn't be opposed to a series about adult Flavia de Luce. Just saying.
It's always a bit bittersweet when a series comes to an end. On one hand...you get to know the characters are going to be okay in the end. On the other hand: no more books. Flavia, I'm going to miss you and your delight in stumbling upon dead bodies.
WHO SHOULD READ: those who've read books 1-8, cozy mystery fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five series coming to an end
RATING FOR SERIES: Four out of Five

Book Review: The Case for Jamie

TITLE: The Case for Jamie
Book 3 in the Charlotte Holmes series
AUTHOR: Brittany Cavallaro
PUBLISHED: March 6th, 2018
GENRE: Classic book referencing, Mystery
PREMISE: Charlotte and Jamie get thrown together for another case...
MY REVIEW: This series continues to be really enjoyable. I love what the author does with the characters of Charlotte and Jamie. Mystery wise...it's about average. But character development wise...it's top notch. I honestly wish this author had been put in charge of the BBC Sherlock show. I bet we would have gotten much better development for everyone. ;is still bitter about how that series turned out;
I can't really go into much without spoiling a lot of the book. But this deals with the fallout of the last book and I love how it dealt with it. It didn't try to demonize anyone or make the reader pick sides or put any character on a pedestal. That was so refreshing, because that can often happen when there's a conflict in book series.
So my feelings on this series are mostly the same. It's an enjoyable riff on Sherlock Holmes. It does gender-flipping well and does something new with the Sherlock Holmes stories. I can't wait to read the next book.
WHO SHOULD READ: those that have read the first two books, Sherlock Holmes fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five excellent character developments

Book Review: Famous Last Words

TITLE: Famous Last Words
AUTHOR: Katie Alender
CATEGORY: YA
PUBLISHED: 2014
GENRE: Paranormal/Mystery
PREMISE: A girl moves to Hollywood as there's a serial killer on the loose and she's haunted by visions...
MY REVIEW: I read this pretty much right after reading Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall. As always with Alender: it's a fun and entertaining romp. This would make a great by the pool book (there's even a scene in it with a pool!). Quality wise...it's just okay.
The plot was decent. It kind of slowed in the middle. There was stuff going on with a female friend that I found incredibly unnecessary (and fed more into that whole "girl can't be real friends!" nonsense that seems to plague YA). The romance was...a little blah and felt forced. But the stuff with the ghosts and the mystery was pretty good. A little slow, but good.
This book just scratched my itch to read more ghost books. If you also have such a need, it's a good one to look into. Though if you're going to try Alender, I recommend starting with her Bad Girls trilogy first. After reading all her books now, I can safely say that's her best one.
WHO SHOULD READ: Katie Alender fans, those who just want fun ghost stories
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five ghosts bothering humans

Book Review: Postmortem

TITLE: Postmortem
Book 1 in the Kay Scarpetta series
AUTHOR: Patricia Cornwell
CATEGORY: Adult
PUBLISHED: 1990
GENRE: Mystery
PREMISE: A medical examiner gets caught up in a case involving a serial killer.
MY REVIEW: There are several thoughts I had about this, not all of them very good. I do have to give the author credit where credit is due though: this is apparently the first forensic mystery. All the stuff like Bones or CSI...we have her to thank for that. That is no small feat, to create a mini-genre.
Unfortunately...it is VERY dated. It also prescribes to White Feminism (feminism that wants to empower white women, but doesn't give a damn about anyone else) from what I can see, which...yeah no. Also don't get me started on the cop the author stuck Kay with. If I want to smack the people solving the mystery, that is not a good thing.
It gets the plot done and is very readable...I just didn't enjoy it, at all. It's just way too dated in attitudes and honestly too slow of a mystery for my taste. This was just very much a case of not for me.
WHO SHOULD READ: Forensic mystery fans
MY RATING: Three out of Five very dated series

Book Review: Batman-Nightwalker

TITLE: Batman: Nightwalker
DC Icons series Book 2
AUTHOR: Marie Lu
PUBLISHED: January 2nd, 2018
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Media tie-in/Superhero, Mystery
PREMISE: A young Bruce Wayne gets caught up in a mystery....
MY REVIEW: I have deep fondness for Batman. One of the first superhero things I ever got involved in was the Batman: The Animated Series. I got hooked on that show, then the Superman animated show and JLU and soon, I was checking out the comics they were based on. Nowadays, I am more of a Marvel girl. But Batman and his neverending angst will always hold an important piece of my heart. He is basically what got me into comics.
So I went into this cautiously. I wound up actually really enjoying it. Like the Wonder Woman book by Leigh Bardugo, it ignores comic continuity. So if you're hoping for teenage Bruce in the seventies or whatever, this will not be your thing (which is sad, I'd really like to see an historical take on Batman and how historical events may have shaped Bruce). But it is a believable look at Bruce as a teenager. One of my particular favorite parts was Alfred. But this is not surprising. Alfred is always my favorite. As far as I'm concerned, he's MVP in the Batman family. I'm pretty damn sure Bruce does not pay him enough for the shit he puts up with.
If you're looking for a absolutely amazing Batman story...this one isn't really up there. There are better ones in the comics. But if you like the Gotham TV show and want to see more angsty teenage Bruce Wayne. This one absolutely delivers. Plot wise it's a little meh (especially in the unnecessary romance part) but overall, this felt like a teenage Bruce Wayne and at the end of the day, that's kind of my only expectation with these DC Icons books: that they at least feel like the teenage versions of the characters they're supposed to be. For those wondering: the next DC Icons book is going to be Catwoman, written by Sarah J. Maas. I'm...not certain how that will work out (I have mixed feelings about Maas, to be honest). But I will still be checking it out.
WHO SHOULD READ: Batman fans, fans of Wonder Woman: Warbringer
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five angsty teenage caped crusaders

Book Review: Track of the Cat

TITLE: Track of the Cat
Book 1 in the Anna Pigeon series
AUTHOR: Nevada Barr
PUBLISHED: 1993
CATEGORY: Adult
GENRE: Mystery
PREMISE: A park ranger discovers the dead body of a co-worker and investigates her murder...
MY REVIEW: I should probably warn you all now: I've decided to go back to my read through the library project. This year I'm doing the B authors. So you'll likely be seeing a lot of random titles in the future. Even more random picks then what I usually do.
This series has been on my list for some time now. I know it's a pretty popular one. I...just found it okay to be honest. It's pretty dated in some stuff. For instance when it's discovered that the dead woman has had an affair with another woman, it's treated as this huge scandalous thing. Then one character tries to say only religious folk get upset about stuff like that. Which...um....no. Sadly, it's not just religion that can make people homophobic. Sometimes people are just jerks. I'm a little surprised the author would think that during the nineties, when homophobia was rampant (there was a big resurgence of it when AIDS started happening). Then there was a lot of other things that just made me sigh heavily.
Mystery wise...this was honestly just okay. Anna as a main character...had her moments. Everything else about the book...was just ho hum for me. It's a nice mystery, but that's about it. I'm honestly probably not going to bother with the rest of the books. I didn't feel any particular attachment to any of the characters.
WHO SHOULD READ: mystery fans, those who like books dealing with wildlife/nature
MY REVIEW: Three and a half out of Five okay mysteries

Book Review: Truly Devious

TITLE: Truly Devious
Book 1 in the Truly Devious Trilogy
AUTHOR: Maureen Johnson
CATEGORY: YA
PUBLISHED: January 16th, 2018
GENRE: Mystery
PREMISE: A girl goes to an exclusive private school where she soon becomes involved in solving a decades old cold case...
MY REVIEW: Maureen Johnson is an interesting author for me. Some of her things, I'm a bit ho hum about (like 13 Little Blue Envelopes for instance) but other things she's done I really liked (the Shades of London trilogy). Luckily, I can put Truly Devious in the category of I liked it.
This is a fun little mystery. It is a bit slow in parts, but what it does with characters is great. It does have Maureen's habit of quirky characters. So if you are not into that, this might irk you a bit. But if you don't mind quirkiness, this does turn into a very interesting mystery. On one hand, you have the older mystery with the family, and then things happen and there's a modern day mystery to solve.
I thought this was a very good introduction book. It gives you a larger mystery solve. There are more modern ones for the character to tackle, and some new questions get raised at the end. I'm personally looking forward to the next book.
WHO SHOULD READ: Mystery fans, Veronica Mars fans, fans of boarding school stories
MY RATING: Four out of Five solid mysteries

Book Review: There's Someone Inside Your House

TITLE: There's Someone Inside Your House
AUTHOR: Stephanie Perkins
PUBLISHED: October 5th, 2017
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Thriller/Mystery
PREMISE: A girl moves to a new town to escape her old life only to be caught up in a series of murders....
MY REVIEW: So, it has been almost three years since Perkins' last book. I mean, a book she wrote by herself. She did edit some short story collections here and there these past few years. If you had told me after Lola and the Boy Next Door that her next book was going to be a thriller, I would have laughed in your face. But....here we are. 2017 sure has been a weird year.
Personally, I am all for authors branching out into new genres and trying new things. This definitely was new for Perkins and....I think she more or less succeeded. I can sort of take or leave thrillers and this one was okay. It had all the usual trappings these things have. The romance was forced, and frankly unnecessary, but I've seen worse. There are silly reveals at the end. There were red herrings all over the place. A good creepy atmosphere going on with the town. It was typical thriller du jour.
I went into it wanting a bit of a R. L. Stine kind of thing and that's basically what I got. It did its job. It's not the best book ever. But it's not the worst. All in all it was just okay for me. Good for if you want those creepy mystery vibes, but not much else.
WHO SHOULD READ: Thriller fans, horror movie fans, Stephanie Perkins fans
MY RATING: Three and a half out of five okay thrillers

Book Review: The Disappearances

TITLE: The Disappearances
AUTHOR: Emily Bain Murphy
CATEGORY: YA
PUBLISHED: July 4rth, 2017
GENRE: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Magical Realism
PREMISE: A girl gets sent to a small town in the 1940s where people are losing things such as the ability to hear music.
MY REVIEW: This book is one of those many YA books that is a mixture of many genres. It's historical fiction first and foremost. But it's also mystery and also magical realism. Now, before you look at that magical realism part and go "oh, she hated it then", brace yourself: I actually didn't hate this one. Didn't love it. But didn't hate it either.
This is incredibly atmospheric, I highly recommend reading it for fall. It has a good spooky vibe to it. I will warn though: it's very slow. That's actually its major flaw, it takes way too long to get to the point. But I've noticed, that's kind of a thing with magical realism. There is some interesting stuff here. Character dynamics were great. People finding ways around the Disappearances was interesting. I just kind of felt the ending was...a tad anti-climatic.
So I have very mixed feelings. On one hand it's a good atmospheric historical mystery that's right up my alley. There are things to like about it. On the other hand: it's painfully slow and drags and I'm not sure the ending was really worth it. So...yeah, I say this is worth a library read to see if it's for you but that's about it.
WHO SHOULD READ: Historical fiction fans, magical realism fans
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five spooky feeling books

Book Review: Winter of the Gods

TITLE: Winter of the Gods
Book 2 of The Immortals series
AUTHOR: Jordanna Max Brodsky
CATEGORY: Adult
PUBLISHED: February 14th, 2017
GENRE: Urban Fantasy/Mystery
PREMISE: Selena aka the goddess Artemis and Theo look into a murder that may be the work of a cult trying to murder the gods...
MY REVIEW: The Immortals was a hidden gem from last year that I still feel should have been way more popular then it was. Think adult Percy Jackson series from the gods POV with murder mystery thrown in.
This series deftly continues from the last book. We get more of the gods, more character development for everyone involved last time and a great lead in for the next book. I love that the author doesn't make everything easy for Selena and Theo they actually have to work at their relationship. It doesn't ignore that this is a goddess and a mortal in a relationship.
There's just so much in this series that I love. It's part mythology, part mystery, and has an awesome female character at the center of its plot. I can't wait to read more.
WHO SHOULD READ: Adult Percy Jackson fans, mystery fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five awesome PIs

Book Review: Project Nemesis

TITLE: Nemesis
Book 1 in the Project Nemesis series
AUTHOR: Brendan Reichs
PUBLISHED: March 2017
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Er...Mystery and Dystopian...I guess?
PREMISE: Ever since Min was a kid, she's been killed over and over again, and then...just wakes up. As she finally starts to dig into why, conspiracies involving her town start popping up all over the place...
MY REVIEW: This book....is just weird. First, I feel like the author had two plots that he just decided to mesh together. One was the thing with the main character getting killed over and over again. The other was the big conspiracy stuff that came at the end. I suppose the author made it work...if I don't look too hard at all the plot holes.
Personally, I feel like this book was kind of an entertaining mess. It is fast-paced, it gets the job done. But if you sit and think hard...it doesn't make sense and you're also going "how did a mystery turn into a wacky dystopian Gone series scenario?" Because that's basically what happened. Personally...this was too gritty violent for my taste. I felt like the author was trying too hard to be edgy like Frank Miller. It didn't help that very little time was spent fleshing out characters so that when all the stuff designed to shock happened...I felt nothing.
So yeah...it's a decent effort. I just wish more time had been spent fine-tuning it so character motivations made more sense and things were better explained/handled. Also authors, quit using "it's a small town!" as an excuse for having no diversity in your books. I've lived in small towns in the US. Even here in my really white suburban Midwest town, we have a pretty sizable non-white population. So I'm sorry, your excuse is just that: an excuse. One that doesn't really fly in 2017.
WHO SHOULD READ: James Patterson fans, Gone series fans
MY RATING: Three out of Five meh shrugs

Book Review: Six Wakes

TITLE: Six Wakes
AUTHOR: Mur Lafferty
PUBLISHED: January 2017
CATEGORY: Adult
GENRE: Science-Fiction/Mystery
PREMISE: A group of clones wake up to discover their previous clones were all murdered...by one of them. But no one has any memory of who and why it happened...
MY REVIEW: I went into this book completely blind. I've never heard of the author before this (though apparently he's been around the sci-fi world a while), haven't heard much buzz about it, nothing. But the idea sounded so interesting I had to at least give it a look. I mean, murder mystery...IN SPACE.
I will warn: it's a tad slow and is very science heavy on the science-fiction part. But the author did remember to have an entertaining plot along with all the science. Which is nice, because sometimes...sci-fi authors get so caught up in explaining their world and proving their science cred that they forget to have things like plot and characters. It's why I tend to be pickier when it comes to my sci-fi then I am with my fantasy.
This is a very nice blend of mystery and sci-fi. The writing is nice and the plot is very well-paced. The characters are nice and varied. It was a solid book. I think I'm going to look into this author's other books in the future.
WHO SHOULD READ: Mur Lafferty fans, Becky Chambers fans, sci-fi fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five murder mysteries on a spaceship

Book Review: The Last of August

TITLE: The Last of August
Book 2 in the Charlotte Holmes series
AUTHOR: Brittany Cavallaro
PUBLISHED: February 14th, 2017
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Mystery
PREMISE: Charlotte and Jamie go on the case when Charlotte's uncle goes missing...
MY REVIEW: By all rights, I probably shouldn't like this series. On one hand, yeah gender-flipped Holmes is awesome. On the other hand, now suddenly, it's okay for Holmes and Watson to be involved when one of them is female (I hate when that happens and that is one of the reasons I love Elementary: they gender flip a character, but don't do any romance between the two). But this scenario works because it's actually not a gender-flipped Sherlock Holmes: it's an ancestor of Sherlock Holmes who happens to be female.
I love the way the author played around with that. Family legacies play a big part in this, and the idea of Holmes and Moriarty ancestors playing cat and mouse with each other for decades honestly...kind of fits to me. The mystery is good, the fallout from the mystery is even better.
Honestly, if you're going to gender flip Holmes, do it this way. I honestly, don't even mind the romance part between Holmes and Watson, mostly because the author doesn't play it as a true love sort of deal. It's an awkward teenage relationship. With all the drama that implies. All in all, this was a very satisfying sequel.
WHO SHOULD READ: Sherlock Holmes fans, Lock and Mori fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five modern Sherlocks

Series Review: Flavia de Luce

SERIES: Flavia de Luce
ORDER OF BOOKS IN SERIES:
1) The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
2) The Weed That Strings the Handman's Bag
3) A Red Herring Without Mustard
4) I Am Half Sick of Shadows
5) Speaking From Among the Bones
6) The Dead and Their Vaulted Arches
7) As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust
8) Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd
AUTHOR: Alan Bradley
PUBLISHED: between 2009-present
CATEGORY: Packaged and sold as adult fiction, I say it's middle-grade but what can you do?
PREMISE: In 1950s England, in a small town, a precocious girl solves mysteries using logic and a love of science.
MY REVIEW: So last year I finally sat down and read the first book of this series and promptly fell in love. Since then I've been playing catch up and after getting to the eighth book last month, I finally am caught up. I'm still very much in love with it too.
Flavia de Luce is sort of a combination of Sherlock Holmes and Miss Fisher pushed into the body of a tween. The result is a delightful main character. On top of Flavia is a colorful cast of family members, and small town characters, who are all very entertaining. Basically, it's like one of those BBC mystery shows in book form, starring a awesome little girl.
The last book left off at quite a place so I'm very eager to get my hands on the next book which is coming out in September.
WHO SHOULD READ: Sherlock Holmes fans, BBC mystery show fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five awesome main characters

Book Review: A Perilous Undertaking

TITLE: A Perilous Undertaking
Book 2 in the Veronica Speedwell series
AUTHOR: Deanna Raybourn
PUBLISHED: January 10th, 2017
CATEGORY: Adult
GENRE: Historical Fiction, Mystery
PREMISE: Veronica Speedwell investigates a murder at the request of the mysterious Lady Sundridge...
MY REVIEW: The first book in this series was a surprise delight for me last year. I wasn't really expecting much from it when I randomly picked it up at the library, but it managed to get me and this second book was just as delightful.
We get more banter, some more backstory on Stoker, some general mystery solving hijinks and all the fun things that should come with historical mysteries. If you're hoping for romance to ignite between Veronica and Stoker....doesn't really happen much. But, there is still banter and chemistry so I say it's a good trade off.
From the looks of things, we have at least three more books in this series coming, and I have to say: I'm here for it.
WHO SHOULD READ: fans of the first book, Parasol Protectorate fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five lady detectives

Book Review: The Pearl Thief

TITLE: The Pearl Thief
Prequel to Code Name Verity
AUTHOR: Elizabeth Wein
PUBLISHED: May 2, 2017
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Historical Fiction
PREMISE: Before Code Name Verity, see Verity's years during peace time when she uncovers a mystery and tries to right wrongs...
MY REVIEW: You guys know I'm always up for an Elizabeth Wein book. Especially if she's doing another Code Name Verity book. This is a tad more light-hearted than most of Wein's books tend to be. At least to me. It's set during peace time for one. And it deals with a mystery instead of a war.
Now, it does deal with some heavy topics, such as racism towards the Romani people that went on during this time (and honestly, still goes on). there's also a nice surprise in Verity having a romance with a girl, confirming that she is indeed bisexual (the term bisexual is not used, but she's very clearly attracted to both men and women throughout the book). That was nice to see. The mystery was also interesting.
It wasn't totally what I was expecting. I was expecting much darker, but overall I definitely enjoyed it. It was a nice solid, historical mystery. If Wein decides to write more historical mysteries, I definitely would not be opposed to them.
WHO SHOULD READ: Code Name Verity fans, historical mystery fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five stolen pearls

Book Review: Allegedly

TITLE: Allegedly
AUTHOR: Tiffany D. Jackson
PUBLISHED: January, 24rth, 2017
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Mystery/Contemporary
PREMISE: A girl who got convicted of killing a baby when she was little now tries to clear her name after learning that she is pregnant.
MY REVIEW: This is yet another book I had mixed feelings about. On one hand: it is riveting. Jackson is a talented author who knows how to keep people flipping the pages for more. Even as I kept thinking "I'm...not into this story that much", I still had to keep going. So it has that going for it. It's not the author's fault that I just can't seem to get into books with unreliable narrators.
I'm going to warn you now: you probably won't like anyone in this book. They are all fully realized deeply flawed characters. They make all the mistakes that come with that. I have some issues with stuff in the book. Also, definitely don't go into this hoping for a Orange is the New Black kind of situation where the characters are dark/in crappy situations, but support one another. Female friendship/support is basically non-existent in this book.
So yeah...I've got many issues with some of the ways this book was executed. But....it was pretty damn well written and it did its job as a suspenseful did she/or didn't she type of thriller. So it's good...but there are issues. I will say it's a very strong debut though. I'm keeping an eye on this author. Like I said, it's not her fault I just can't get into unreliable narrator stories. That's a me thing.
WHO SHOULD READ: Gone Girl fans, those that like books with unreliable narrators
MY RATING: Four out of Five solid debuts

Book Review: The Hanging Tree

TITLE: The Hanging Tree
Book 6 in the Peter Grant/Rivers of London series
AUTHOR: Ben Aaronovitch
CATEGORY: Adult
GENRE: Urban Fantasy, Mystery
PREMISE: Peter agrees to do a favor that he owes, that favor leads him right to his biggest foe...
MY REVIEW: This review will be short, because my opinion on this series hasn't changed very much from the last series. Basically: I love it.
This is a wacky world with a charming main character. It's a bit like Dresden Files, but with more of an overall plot and not as much accidental (I hope) sexism as that series can have (seriously Butcher....do some research on how not to write female characters. It'll do you loads of good). These are more police procedural oriented then urban fantasy focused, so if that's not your thing, it may not be for you. Luckily, it is my thing so I adore this series.
Basically, if you're already a fan of this series, this latest book will not disappoint. If you haven't discovered this series yet, seriously get on it. Particularly if you love urban fantasy/mysteries.
WHO SHOULD READ: Those that have read the first five books, Dresden Files fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five I need the next book now feelings

Book Review: Ghost Talkers

TITLE: Ghost Talkers
AUTHOR: Mary Robinette Kowal
PUBLISHED: August 2016
CATEGORY: Adult
GENRE: Historical Fantasy/Mystery/Alternate History
PREMISE: During WWI a medium enlisted in the army starts to uncover secrets and betrayals...
MY REVIEW: I have been meaning to read Kowal for awhile now. Her Glamourist Histories series looks right up my ally and I've heard good things. After reading this book, I understand why I've heard those good things. This book was just good.
It's an alternate history of sorts where there are mediums enlisted in the army to help talk to the ghosts of dead soldiers. The world is wonderfully built and the author weaves a damn good mystery in it to keep interest going. Ginger was a fun character whom I honestly wouldn't mind spending more time with. There seems to be only one book planned in this universe so far but honestly...I wouldn't say no to more books.
But in the meantime, I think I'm definitely going to be looking into Kowal's other books sooner, rather than later. This was so good and wonderfully written.
WHO SHOULD READ: Alternate History fans, steampunk fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five dead soldiers sticking around

Book Review: Dreamland Burning

TITLE: Dreamland Burning
AUTHOR: Jennifer Latham
PUBLISHED: February 21rst
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Mystery/Historical Fictionish
PREMISE: A girl discovers a corpse in her back yard, and we jump between her life and the life of a man in the 1920s who has something to do with the murder of said corpse.
MY REVIEW: So some of you may recognize the name Jennifer Latham. A few years back she had a book called Scarlett Undercover that I expressed excitement for. Now, I did try to read Scarlett, but ultimately I had to DNF it. While the diversity was great the story....not so much. So I put it aside with a sad sigh. This book is entirely another story. The author not only has great diversity, she has a great mystery going on as well and even the writing has improved. I love it when authors improve like this.
There's a dual perspective going on in this, but this one actually a) is necessary (sorry, but most dual perspectives are usually not necessary), b) is done well. I can actually tell the difference between the characters. The historic research is also very evident.
In short, I loved this book. I went into it not expecting much and it managed to surprise me in a good way. I think this may wind up being a favorite of 2017.
WHO SHOULD READ: Jennifer Latham fans, historical fiction fans
MY RATING: Four out of five dual perspectives used well